Queen reign supreme with country’s most popular driving tune

Matt Allan

Published:11:28 amAugust 19, 2019

Queen’s 1979 hit Don’t Stop Me Now has been named the most motivational driving song of all time by British motorists.

In a survey of drivers of all ages, the rock anthem came out ahead of tunes from Survivor, Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga and Pharrell Williams, as the nation’s number one, with singer Freddie Mercury also named the most inspirational artist.

The poll of drivers by tyre brand Goodyear found that almost half (46 per cent) cited him as the greatest musical icon, ahead of Aretha Franklin (24 per cent) and Prince (19 per cent).

The survey also found that four fifths of drivers feel that music is a motoring necessity for them, with an antisocial 66 per cent saying they would rather listen to music than chat to friends or family.

Stress reliever

The UK’s top five motivational driving songs

Don’t Stop Me Now; Queen (42%)

Eye of the Tiger; Survivor (28%)

Livin’ on a Prayer; Bon Jovi (26%)

Simply the Best; Tina Turner (23%)

Happy; Pharrell Williams (18%)

Nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) put entertainment value to the forefront but almost half (45 per cent) also said that listening to music while driving helped them to de-stress, and a quarter said it helped motivate them on the way to work.

While rock tunes from Queen, Bon Jovi and Survivor topped the list of most motivational tues, pop proved to be the most popular genre overall, voted the most motivational genre of driving music by 47 per cent of motorists, followed by rock (34 per cent) and dance music (15 per cent). By contrast, techno (three per cent), grime (two per cent) and dubstep (one per cent) were found to be the least motivational genres.

Almost half of those questioned named Queen’s Freddie Mercury as the most inspirational musician of all time. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A vital role

Andy Marfleet from Goodyear Tyres commented: “As a nation we spend a huge amount of time in our cars, and it’s clear from our research that music plays a vital role in keeping drivers motivated whilst on the road.

“Whether it’s the motorists who use their driving music to pump themselves up for a day at work, or those who say it winds them down when feeling stressed, we wanted to see how we could help the UK’s drivers achieve the best frame of mind when on the road so they are inspired to start something great when they do eventually arrive at their destination.”